Aggies in-fighting over in-state tuition for illegal immigrants

Fox News has a story today about turmoil at Texas A&M over offering in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants who meet state residency requirements.

Here is an excerpt:

Texas A&M University’s student Senate recently approved a bill that would no longer allow illegal immigrants attending the school to be eligible for in-state tuition rates.

Since 2001, illegal immigrants in Texas have qualified for in-state tuition, which offers them a generous discount compared to out-of-state students attending the university. Texas A&M has 49,000 students, and about 300 are illegal immigrants.

But while the student Senate voted 48-21 this month in favor of the bill, S.B. 63-11, the move isn’t sitting well with Student Body President Jacob Robinson.

Robinson, who vetoed the bill, says that it’s up to the state legislature – not the school – to address the problem of illegal immigration.

“This is a state of residency issue and the state needs to address this first,” said Robinson.

The student senators voted because state legislators “mentioned the desire to receive feedback from students at Texas institutions — specifically Texas A&M,” said Clark Caperton, student Senate chair of external affairs.

That “desire” hit a nerve when the bill was introduced this month.

Demonstrators took to campus streets and held up signs that said, “Aggies don’t fight Aggies,” and “We don’t choose to be illegal.” Many of the demonstrators support proposed federal legislation called the Dream Act — which would allow immigrant children to remain in the United States to serve in the military or attend college.

Justin Pulliam, student Senator and chairman of Texas Aggie Conservatives, the co-author of the S.B. 63-11 bill, predicts that Dream Act Activists will turn out Wednesday when the bill is brought back onto the floor. Students will have an option to override Robinson’s veto.

President Obama is pushing for passage of the DREAM Act this year. Supporters are citing a new study released today as evidence that the act will boost the economy in the long run. Opponents call the act an amnesty, and are preparing to fight any push to get it through Congress this year.

Of course anything Obama wants passed is FOR amnesty for illegal aliens. Have you been living under a rock or something? Oh, by the way, the other descriptor for illegal aliens is UNDOCUMENTED DEMOCRATS. He has to find a way to get re-elected, and based on the latest election, he is in deep doo doo right now!

If you are here illegally, how do you QUALIFY for in-state ANYTHING? If you are here illegally, you don’t have a social security number unless of course it was purchased at a local flea market. OH wait, that’s another crime going un-noticed or ignored.

It’s so sad that liberals have taken over our colleges and are indoctrinating our kids. It’s obvious by the posts here! So here is a cheap education that you will apparently not hear in your colleges these days… illegal means you are committing a crime. Crime is not – nor should it be – rewarded. So who is actually being discrimated here? It would be LEGAL people living out of state. Get your head out of your rears and start respecting the US!!!!!

God bless these young people for their hard work and dedication to their studies. Congratulations to their families who have worked so hard to support and nurture them. We WILL find a way to make the dream come true. ¡Ningún Ser Humano es Ilegal!

oh please. Native americans are just a bunch of asians that got here during the ice age. besides, you got your butts handed to you and you lost your land. i don’t hear the mongols carping because the russians kicked them out of central russia or the saxons because the normans beat them down. it is history. the difference is, Americans are not going to let it happen to them…

I’m black and I’m sick of Hispanics throwing around the word “racist”. Illegals get more benefits than blacks who fought to strengthen this country. Hell, Black-Mexicans are treated like crap in Mexico. Illegal is illegal. That’s Haitian, Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian, etc. You didn’t bother going through the steps of respecting our country to become a legal citizen and you’ve spit in the face of the people who worked hard to become legal citizens of this country. Stop looking for sympathy because I don’t have one ounce of it for them.

The Dream Act must NOT pass ja. They’re educated and ILLEGAL. This has zero to do with race, but yet those of you on the left like yourself and Susan can’t seem to figure this out. All the vast majority of Americans are asking them to do is to go back to their country of origin and if they wish to become a citizen, do it the right way like millions of others. No one should get to cut in line regardless of what you bleeding hearts say.

There is a process by which a person can legally enter/reside in this country. Why not encourage these people to take that path? If they do so, the whole problem goes away.

I don’t mean fast-track them or give any sort of preferential treatment. We have a need for immigration, and we want the best and brightest to come here. I would assume that if they are able to get into an excellent university, then it is preferable that they be here and benefit this country rather than people who don’t have meaningful skills, can’t speak the language, don’t understand the culture, etc.

These are not illegal immigrants, these are illegal aliens! Immigrants have gone thru the legal procedures to become a citizen.aliens have not. Therefore, an Immigrant cannot, by definition, be illegal!I wish these various publications would get their terms straight.

300 illegal students- great info! Round up the identities of these “students” and let’s get them promptly delivered to ICE. They’ll likely find tuition more affordable in their own countries. Deportation, always a win-win. Always.

Passing the DREAM ACT is the right thing to do. Educating the young living in this country is best for country as a whole in the long run. Young people who are undocumented through no fault of their own should not be punished but allowed the opportunity to continue their education. It’s the right thing to do.

The DREAM ACT says only two years of college. That means some one that basically pays for classes at HCC can become a citizen. Thats the only thing about this bill I object two. I think it needs to be a minimum of a Bachelors, pay the fine for the STOLEN social security number you have been using, then you can become a resident alien, not a citizen, you still need to work for that.

The issue is residency. If you’ve lived in Texas for 2 years without attending school you are a resident. Also, we’ve alway had residents of Mexico living in Texas. The state name is from the Caddo indian word for ‘friends’ or ‘allies’, it’s a name the Spanish gave to the region. Stop acting like this state is for Americans only. We’re state of six flags, not one, and damn proud of it. We’re not like Oklahoma, a state just stolen from the indians reservations. Have some state pride and support those 300 resident Aggies to get an education. Remember we’re talking about .6% of students at TAMU. Get a life, people. The college graduation rate for Hispanics in Texas is 40%, 49% for all students. So only 120 of these Aggies will ever gradate. Half of Hispanics don’t graduate high school, then less than half graduate college. We need every educated Hispanic we can find to help encourage and inspire a smarter, more clever work force. We could be the gateway for all central and south american business if we had the graduates to maintain it. Let’s not let Florida and California take all the business. Let’s make some money with Aggie grads!

The biggest factor for me is, as quoted in the text of the bill, US Code – Section 1623, 8. They are basically saying that current policy violates US law and should be changed in order to comply.

In addition to this, the potential graduate cannot be legally employed in the state of Texas and it, therefore, should not be assumed that the student would economically benefit the state any differently than an out of state student.

I don’t count it unreasonable to charge higher than in-state tuition rates to someone who should technically be charged international student rates.

It’s not “Aggie fighting Aggie;” it’s prudent application of the Aggie Code…”An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those that do.”

The taxpayers of the state of Texas subsidizes the education of in-state students for the purpose of improving the skill sets of her workforce. If (1) your parents do not contribute to this, and/or (2) the state cannot reasonably expect to gain from your education legally (i.e. you enter the workforce in Texas at a higher wage and skill set) then your education should not be subsidized by the taxpayers of the state of Texas.

All arguments I have seen from the other side are either purely emotional or completely irrational.

With so many Aggies headed for the military, Robinson should be considering what he’s asking of these students who will be taking an oath to defend this country and the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic!

The DREAM ACT is now being pushed to cover a mere 800,000 illegal aliens in our country for RIGHT NOW. How many next year? The year after? in the year 2020? It is an endless open wallet for the illegal aliens to scab off the American taxpayers. Don’t forget it has already cost American taxpayers more than $100,000.00 to educate an illegal alien from K-12th grade in our public school system. How MUCH do we have to GIVE them? What is the President of Mexico doing for these people. Additionally, we have to pay for their insurance. How many billions are we borrowing from China because our government is allowing it to happen – borrow from China to support the Mexicans?